It's fun to be trendy, right?

For the longest time, the trend has been to make bigger, fatter cigars. Robustos became popular in the 90s during the Cigar Boom, and the trend continued into the new century. it seems that everyone was trying to make a fatter cigar. I think it stems from the American idea of "Go big or go home". America seemed to be infatuated with stronger bigger cigars.

But what did this trend do to the cigar?

Well, in my oh so humble opinion, it devalued the wrapper. How's that, you may be asking?

A cigar wrapper's impact on the overall flavor of the cigar is DIRECTLY proportional to the size of the cigar. The fatter the cigar, the more filler is in the cigar; which means the smaller the ratio of wrapper there is to the total amount of tobacco in the cigar.

The Cubans know what they are doing, and historically their most popular cigars have been thinner cigars. The corona, which averages a 42-44 ring gauge, has more wrapper tobacco than a robusto which averages a 48-54 ring gauge.

The trend to go big has gotten out of control as cigars began featuring a 54 ring gauge and many a 60+! Don't forget, ring gauge is measured by 1/64th of an inch, so a 60 ring gauge cigar is almost an inch in diameter. That's a big cigar to put in your mouth! And what are you predominantly tasting? That's right, filler.

You hear that this wrapper is aged 5 years, and this wrapper is only found on this farm, and so on; yet all sizes available are over a 50 ring gauge. That blows my mind. if this wrapper is so special, wouldn't you want to taste it?

Enter the Lancero.

The lancero has been popular with many cigar aficionados for quite some time. Before I get too carried away let me state that some folks have been making thin cigars for quite some time, like Davidoff, Arturo Fuente and Tatuaje to name a few. These sizes were often to please the manufacturers themselves or were lines that were blended for the more refined palate (a seasoned cigar smoker).

Now it is catching on with the general cigar smoking public. It began with Limited Edition Samplers and sizes, thanks to folks like Don Pepin Garcia, La Flor Dominicana and Rocky Patel; but now Lanceros are showing up in many regular lines (like the Alec Bradley Tempus).

(Now you big ring gauge lovers, don't fret, there's plenty of big ring gauge cigars out there for you to enjoy, and the Big Ring Gauge trend, even with the growing pupularity of thinner cigars, shows no signs of slowing down.)

But, finally (again) the wrapper can now be enjoyed as it should be intended.

So long live the Lancero!

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Short Robusto
Size : 4 x 50
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Arapiraca
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : 5.50 EUR each
More info about purchasing Quesada cigars...

If you know the story behind the Quesada Seleccion Espana, you might be a bit surprised at the title of this review. Europe? Weren't these supposed to be released in Spain, then a few boxes leaked to the US because the cigars were really good? [you can find some more information about this cigar here and here]

Well, I mentioned 'Europe' simply because I found this stick in a B&M in Amsterdam and it didn't have the second "Seleccion Espana" band. Looking at the size and the main band (as well as the flavor profile), I am fairly confident this is the same blend, released across Europe (or just in the Netherlands? I don't know). Needless to say, I was pretty excited to sample these because they received really good press overseas.

Read the full review of Quesada Seleccion Espana/Europe Short Robusto...

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Belicoso
Size : 5 1/8 x 43
Wrapper : Cameroon
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $7 each
More info about purchasing Arturo Fuente Don Carlos cigars...

The Fuente family makes some of the most popular cigars in the US. The Opus X and Hemingway lines seem to get the most notoriety in this part of the country, but right up there with them is the premium Don Carlos line of Cameroon wrapped cigars. The Don Carlos is a superbly constructed refined cigar that proudly bears the name of Don Carlos Fuente Sr. himself. The Don Carlos can be had in various vitolas, seven of which are the most common. The #2, #3, #4, Robusto, Double Robusto, Belicoso, and Presidente. I have seen pictures of a Lancero but have never seen one in person. I don’t know the story behind the Lancero but can only assume it was some kind of special run that may or may not have ever been publicly available. The Fuente’s seem to have a lot of special run, never released cigars floating around out there. You often hear stories of them much like you hear stories of Big Foot and Lochness sightings.

Read the full review of Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 4...

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is a distillery named after one of its founders, George Stranahan, who founded it together with (then) volunteer fire fighter Jess Graber, and Jake Graber – who still serves as production manager and Head distiller today, though the company has been sold to Proximo Beverage Corporation. According to the company history available on their website, George and Jess met when the Jess was one of the firemen to respond to a fire in George’s barn. The two got talking, and as it turned out they both had a passion for the Colorado nature and a tipple of fine whiskey – and that’s where it all started.
 
 
Interesting, George Stranahan also owns the Flying Dog brewery – which just happens to be one of my favourite American breweries. If you haven’t tried their Gonzo Imperial Porter or Double Dog Double Pale Ale yet, I would highly recommend them both. Needless to say, then, my hopes are once again set high! Now, let’s get back to Stranahan’s Colorado Malt, which (to my knowledge, at least) is the only whiskey they make.

It pours a beautifully dark, mahogany-gold, which is very inviting indeed. The nose is thick, warm, and packed with fresh vanilla – when it comes to getting vanilla right, trust the Americans to know how. Regular readers will perhaps have noticed that there is one particular note that will always increase my liking of a whiskey markedly: banana. In the case of Stranahan’s, there’s a fair bit of it, and it’s joined by another favourite of my – cinnamon. They go together absolutely beautifully, and add complexity to the sweetness of the vanilla. There is also a definite bit of fresh fruit crisp that breaks off the thick syrupiness beautifully, consisting of apples and just a touch citrus. A true stunner, this one.

The palate starts out where the nose ended, with a bit of apple, but this is soon replaced by a very healthy serving of vanilla – once again very thick, creamy and lovingly warm – and that seductive banana from the nose. The citrus is slightly more pronounced and a bit less sweet, sugared grapefruit perhaps? All of it is balanced out by a pinch of spice that does nothing if not make you long for your next sip.

Priced around £60 in the UK it’s not a cheap whiskey, but if you ask me it’s worth every single penny. A true masterpiece, I would warmly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Oh and I nearly forgot- as some of you will know already, I’m a sucker for a well-designed bottle, and by god this one’s a beaut! From the shape of the bottle to the thin, hand-written wrap-around label, to the quirky cap, it’s one for the bar globe.

Summary

Colour: Mahogany/Gold.

Nose: Warm, thick, fresh vanilla, banana, cinnamon, apple and a touch of citrus.

Palate: Apple, lots of vanilla, banana, sweet grapefruit, pinch of spice.

• Carlos Torano Exodus Silver Edition free 4-pack - with any Torano box purchase (we've reviewed a lot of them) - special offer at Mike's Cigars
• Fuente Family Variety Sampler (Natural) - $56.95 for a 10-pack, includes Hemingway Signature, Rothschild, Don Carlos, etc. - sale at Famous Smoke [combine with a coupon for an additional discount or free shipping]
• Rocky Patel Edge Sampler - $24.99 for a sampler of 5, contains Edge Classic, Lite, Hab, Mad & Cand - on sale at BNB Tobacco

Spotted a nice cigar deal? Let us know!

The Black Patch Cigar Company, located in Pikeville, Kentucky, recently released a cigar with a proprietary Habano seed grown in the fertile soils of Western Kentucky. This new cigar, appropriately called, Black Patch Kenbano, was first released in September-October of 2012 and is currently shipping nationwide. Only two sizes of this special edition cigar will be released: a 5 x 50 Robusto and a 6 x 54 Gran Toro.

Kenbano is the name of the proprietary tobacco that is grown in the Black Patch region of Logan County, KY. It should come as no surprise that great cigar tobacco can come from this soil; the first strains of tobacco indigenous to North America were a broadleaf variety and Western Kentucky has been growing broadleaf and other tobaccos for over 150 years. But growing Cuban seed (i.e., Habano) tobacco is something quite new.

“The emotions of finally seeing something like the Kenbano become tangible was almost anti-climatic,” said Eric McAnallen, owner of the Black Patch Cigar Company. “In 1998, when I first dreamed of growing great cigar tobacco in my part of the world, I expected it to happen overnight… Was I ever wrong! The passage of time tends to erode any unrealistic expectations.”

After curing, McAnallen’s Black Patch raised tobacco is shipped to the Dominican Republic, where it is fermented, aged, and eventually blended and rolled into cigars at the farms and factories of Jorge F. Carbonell. “I was given such great advice and guidance from the 100 year established Carbonell Tobacos family who instilled in me from the beginning that it would take passion, persistence, and time before my dream would come to fruition.”

“My goal was to create an aroma and taste that is infinite and unique,” said McAnallen. “I believe the Kenbano will elicit memories of yesteryear and entice the senses of all seasoned cigar smokers.”

Cigar Details

Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Havana Vuelta Abajo
Binder: Dominican Criollo 98
Filler: USA/Kentucky Kenbano 2007, Dominican Piloto Cubano Ligero, Dominican Criollo 98 Bonao